Playing Cards

Playing Cards

Today's playing cards are so commonplace that it may seem to be a stretch that they have meaning beyond their role in game-playing. However, playing cards are based on an ancient system similar to the Tarot. Each birthday of the year is associated with a main playing card, the Birth Card, and each tells its own story.

The standard deck has 52 cards for the weeks in the year. Four suits for the quarters of the year and 13 cards in each suit representing the weeks in the quarter. When you add the Joker the 365 days of the year are represented. So you find yourself asking if the deck was originally created to represent the year. It is said that black cards are representative of male power while the red cards represent feminine powers. And of course the 12 face cards are representative of the months in the year. It is an interesting correlation.